p The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, states the USSR Constitution, is the leading and guiding force of Soviet society, and the nucleus of its state system and of all state and public organisations. The CPSU exists for the 304 people and serves the people. Armed with Marxism-Leninism the Communist Party determines the general perspectives of the development of society and the course of the home and foreign policy of the USSR, directs the great constructive work of the Soviet people and imparts a planned, systematic and theoretically grounded character to their struggle for the victory of communism. All Party organisations function within the framework of the Constitution of the USSR. By means of a system of state and public organisations the Party brings the idea of struggling for communism to the consciousness of the masses in the form of specific, concrete tasks and directs the efforts of each collective, of all Soviet people towards their solution.

p The role played by the Communist Party increases in the course of further development. This is due to the growing scope and complexity of the tasks of communist construction, the rise in the creative activity of the masses, the further development of socialist democracy, the mounting importance of scientific theory and the need to improve the communist education of the working people.

p The Party is a living, developing organism which steadfastly augments its ranks and takes care that the working class occupies the leading position in its social composition. It improves the forms and methods of its work, bringing them into conformity with life and the needs of communist construction. Its main task is to formulate the general perspective of social development, a correct political line, and to organise the people for the job of translating it into reality. The Party directs the communist education of people, supervises the selection and placement of cadres and verifies the execution of its own and the state’s decisions.

p In its life and work the Party abides by Leninist principles and norms which have been checked, confirmed and enriched in the course of decades of historical experience. The most important of these principles, a tested weapon and the Partyls greatest political asset is collective leadership. Only on the basis of the Leninist principle of collective leadership is it possible correctly to analyse the situation, soberly and objectively appraise successes and bring to light and cope with shortcomings in good time. Complacency and 305 admiration of its own successes are alien to the Party. It critically assesses its activities, strives to concentrate on shortcomings and unresolved questions, and to continuously improve the organisation, forms and methods of its work.

p “The dynamic development of Soviet society, the growing scale of communist construction, and our activity in the international arena,” says the Report of the CPSU Central Committee to the 25th Congress of the Party, “insistently require a steady raising of the level of Party guidance of economic and cultural development, the education of our men and women, and improvement of organisational and political work among the masses.”  [305•* 

p The Party’s tested organisational instrument in the building of communist society are Party Rules which impose high demands on each member: a Communist has to exemplify a communist attitude to labour, lofty moral fibre, intolerance of shortcomings, money-grubbing and parasitism, tact and consideration for people, dedication to the Party and the people. They also envisage the further development of inner-Party democracy, and the enhancement of the role of the Party’s local organs and primary organisations.

p An essential condition for the success of communist construction is the further broadening and deepening of the Party’s links with the people. The Party regards it as its sacred duty to consult the people on all key issues of home and foreign policy, and to draw the non-Party masses into its activity.

The leading and guiding role of the CPSU and its organisational and educational work are a key factor of the communism’s imminent victory.